Quiet in the Land
by T'Sura
Summary: A young Amish girl finds something which will allow her to continue her journey in the Plain church. A work in progress but a good read...
1. Chapter 1

Quiet in the Land

I awoke in the in the early morning to a noise outside the window. Living on the first floor of our two-story home, I was pretty sure it was just a cat rustling in the bushes or a dog on the prowl. Perhaps God had awoken me? The window sash was open to permit the night's breeze into my room and the curtains rustled softly in the wind. I thought nothing of the noise when I first heard it; the cats my family kept were to keep the rat count down in the barn. Pulling at the strings of my white prayer _kapp_, I prayed for my family and then put my head on my pillow again and tried to fall back asleep. However, after a few seconds, since the rustling hadn't stopped, I sat up in bed and tried to find my long coat to put over my nightgown. After hunting for the coat for a moment, I decided it might be more fruitful to light the lamp next to my bed. As I completed this task and set about on the next, which was to find my coat, I realized that the rustling had stopped. Had the predator in the bushes seen the light and decided to stop its pursuit? I could tell by the way the sky was just beginning to show a hint of pink that it was probably around three thirty in the morning. I found my coat in the closet and quickly shrugged it on, pushing some _strait_ pins through their appropriate holes in the back and front of the coat. The Old Order Amish do not believe in using buttons or zippers on their clothing. Once I had finished fastening the coat with my pins, I straightened my_ kapp_ and walked to the window. Just as I leaned out over the sash to look out, I was met with a face with eyes wide in shock. The person, a man, took a step backward and nearly fell.

In terror, I screamed but then clapped my hand over my mouth as soon as I recognized who it was. I let out a huge breath and placed a small hand over my fluttering heart.

"Samuel Jacob Stoltzfus! Oh, you ought to be ashamed, giving me a fright like that! What are you doing here? It's so early!" I berated him not out of anger, but to mainly quell the pounding of my heart. Samuel and I had been good friends since childhood and recently we had begun courting. It was not uncommon in our Amish community for boys to call on girls at night, but he had never mentioned it to me or even gave me the notion that he was entertaining the thought. It had certainly taken me by surprise.

Samuel, who was now looking quite uncomfortable, took off his dark hat and began twisting the brim in his large hands. He kept glancing around.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you. Truly, it wasn't my intention. I thought you might want to go for a walk. We can go by the creek and we can get back just before the morning chores." He looked at me as I leaned casually on the window sill with hopeful eyes. I was ready to jump out of the window into his arms when I remembered that I was only wearing a coat and nightgown and that it was now about three forty five in the morning. He didn't exactly look like he was ready for a walk either. After setting his now-slightly-mangled hat back on his head, he wore the hat, a homespun shirt and some trousers without suspenders. He looked as ready as I was.

"Samuel, are you _ferhoodled_? What would our parents say if they caught us walking together, you and me in nightclothes? Your father is our Bishop! I think he would have plenty to say on the matter if he or my father came to find out where we had gone."

Samuel had clearly not thought about this problem and when I mentioned our fathers, the smile he had on his face became thin. He stepped back a foot, the grass that surrounded our house waving behind him in the breeze. It was getting lighter now and the sky was turning a nice reddish pink color. I thought I heard a rooster crow.

"They would think we had committed a sin of the flesh. You are right. Maybe after you and I deliver the milk this morning to the Lapps' house we could go for this walk."

As a farm hand, Samuel's duties included raking out the gutter behind the cow stanchions, giving them hay, milking them, and then distributing the milk to various members of the community. I often accompanied him in his buggy on this last chore. It gave us a chance to talk while he completed the task. It also gave us time to be alone. When Samuel is here at our farm helping with the milking every morning there are always other people in the barn. Just to name a few, his cousin Levi, who comes at 4:30 to help with the milking, my father, my little brother Andrew who feeds the cats in the barn, another boy named Joseph Lapp (who often helps with the morning chores like bringing things to the barn from the toolshed on the edge of our property and hitching up the horses to the plow so that we can get all the hay in the barn and the grain in the silo before the rainy season), and a few women who collect all the eggs from the adjoining chicken coops while my mother and I make everyone breakfast. I often bake Samuel things to show my affection for him since the Amish, unlike the _Englischers_, do not believe in public displays of affection. A carefully wrapped cookie, a cherry pie in the afternoon and a hot breakfast meant more between us than a hug or kiss in public. I looked forward to each morning and the time I could spend with him when he came to us. Samuel's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Lena?" Samuel stood directly across from me, his height made even taller by the outcropping of the house on which he stood. "Will you walk after the milk deliveries with me?" The way he spoke, his speech inflected with our Pennsylvania Dutch grammar, made my heart beat wildly.

"Of course."

He turned to leave, but I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Elsam?" I called him by a childhood nickname as I asked, "Why did you come this morning?"

Samuel, with his intelligent blue eyes, stared up at me. He had stepped off the ledge, leaving me feeling quite tall. My question stood unanswered. He smiled again.

"You'll see." He then turned and made his way through the bushes, rustling through them. Then a few moments of silence until he reached our field of grain and his rustling started up again as he made his way to the horse and buggy hitched to the post in our front yard. The staccato of the _clop-clop-clop_ of his horse's feet lulled me to sleep.

I awoke at five o'clock to the sun shining into my eyes. I quickly got dressed in a fresh dress in exchange to the nightgown and coat I had fallen asleep in, put on my soft _kapp_ and an apron and my black shoes and quickly headed to the kitchen.

As I arrived, I noticed that there were a few extra chairs added to our long wooden table.

_Guests?_ I thought to myself. _Who could they be?_

My mother was to answer that question. "Lena, the Beilers are joining us today for breakfast, as well as Joseph Lapp and Elsam. The Beilers are the family that just bought the Fisher farm down the street. They used to live in Indiana." I nodded and got to work cooking. I wondered if somehow we were related; we had family members who lived in Indiana.

"Have the eggs been fetched from the coop?" I asked casually as I cut some small potatoes, dropping them into a pot of water that was boiling on our gas stove. After cutting those, I began on some stalks of green onions.

"Yes. They are in the ice box to your left."

We grated some cheese and my mother stepped out onto the porch to make us some fresh butter. I began to mix fresh bread and I put it in our oven to bake. My mother came back in after there was enough butter for breakfast and we began to scramble the eggs and set everything on the table as people started to trickle into the dining area. As soon as everything was finished cooking or settling, we brought the remaining food items to the table and sat down.

Once everyone had come in from the barn area or toolshed, we all prayed together. After the prayer, everyone began to serve the food and pass all the dishes around in a counter-clockwise direction. My father sat at the head of the table with Mr. Beiler at his right. Mrs. Beiler sat to his right and my mother sat to my father's left. Elsam and I sat next to each other and Joseph Lapp and my little brothers sat across from us. We ate and everyone talked together about the upcoming rainy season, discussing when would be the best time to raise the Beilers' barn and how to get all the hay from the north hayfield to the barn on our farm. Several hours went by as we talked until my father shooed us out the door to make the milk deliveries. I grabbed my shawl which was hanging on its peg by the door and Samuel grabbed his hat and we walked out to his buggy together. He helped me into the open-air buggy and then sat beside me, the cloth covered milk cans clanging in the back of the buggy. Although we were not yet published in the church, he put his arm around my waist. As he did so, I covered his arm with the edge of my warm shawl to keep his hand warm. In the morning here, it is often cold enough to see your breath. As we swooped around the circular drive, I leaned my head against his shoulder. His smell, the feel of his shirt against my face, and the way his long hair ticked my forehead all seemed so perfect that I closed my eyes and thanked God for my wonderful companion. As we drove down the road in the buggy, I prayed that things would stay this way for a very, very long time.


	2. Chapter 2

As the horse made his way down the dusty road to the different houses in our community, Samuel and I discussed what we might do with the day. It seemed as though our "serious creek-side talk" had been postponed. Our deliveries went by quickly, each household thanking us for the fresh bottles of milk which would also provide butter and cheese for the family. As we wound our way through the area, Samuel and I entertained several thoughts of leisure. It was a rare day for us- the hay had been collected the week before, and would be moved on Wednesday to the barn when all the men could help and our services were not needed until the afternoon milking.

"What do you wish to do today?" Samuel always asked others' opinions before entertaining his own.

I straightened my _kapp_ and untied the knot under my chin, allowing the strings to float freely about my neck. "You mentioned going swimming earlier at breakfast. What if we went to the pool out on the edge of the township?"

Samuel's face brightened at the thought of the cool water. Already, I could feel the warmth of the sun beating down on us; a bead of sweat ran down Samuel's smooth cheek. I could imagine the pale waves lapping at the edge of the pool. We turned and grinned at each other, determined to finish the deliveries and then go to the swimming pool for an afternoon of unusual leisure.

By the time that our deliveries had been finished, the word had spread that we were planning on heading west to the edge of the township where the nearest local pool was located. About ten of us were sitting in the back of Samuel's buggy as his faithful horse made its way west. We carried a lively conversation whilst riding along; the jiggle of the open-air buggy soothing and comfortable.

Several of the boys were laughing. Joseph Lapp, one of my father's helpers, recalled, "I can't even remember the last time I went swimming. I think the last time to it was that time when I slipped in the cow manure and Lena's father took me around back and had me wash off in the old horse trough. That trough is big enough to be a swimming pool!"

Levi was known throughout the community for his common mishaps with slippery ground. Twice this year he had been taken to the apothecary to get the back of his head stitched from slipping in the cow manure in our barn. My father insisted that our boot maker put treads on the bottom of his boots to keep him from losing his balance in the slippery muck behind the cow stanchions.

The other boys laughed, and we girls chatted about the next hymnsing we were going to have that Saturday evening in the Esch barn. The ride was short; our community being quite small and already near the border of the township. Once we had arrived, Samuel let the horse out to pasture in the pen provided for Amish visitors. The buggy remained near a large dogwood tree. The boys hopped out and helped the girls down and we made our way to the wooden gate where we would enter the pool.

"Ready for a bit of _rumspring_ing?" Jacob Beiler's casual reference to our time of freedom to choose the ways of our church and _Englischer_ ways did not go unnoticed by Samuel and me if by anyone else. It made everyone smile as we thought about it, particularly because swimming was not a particularly devilish scheme. "I bet the water feels wonderful _gut_."

We approached the edge of the pool, several of us reaching down to untie shoelaces and stuff our socks in between the tongue. The water did feel "wonderful _gut_"…cool and refreshing. The boys who were bolder took to splashing each other with cupped hands. Samuel rolled up his sleeves and plunged his hands into the water, bringing them up and flinging the cold water. straight into my face. Although shockingly cold to my visage, it was exactly the right temperature needed to cool off. I grinned and gave his shoulder a small swat. Since we were the first people in the pool gate, we had not noticed the half dozen English boys come in behind us, but when I turned to look for a towel I had brought, I noticed them standing and staring at us with mischievous grins gracing their faces.

I whispered in Dietsch to Samuel, "Those boys look like trouble. Maybe we should leave. This afternoon is supposed to be relaxing." I had always been the shy type, never wanting to get in conflict with anyone else and I often went out of my way to avoid confrontations with _Englischers_.

"They are fine, Lena. They have caused us no problems. Besides, do you really think they would do something here? The lifeguards would evict them." Samuel's reasoning did not eradicate the knot I had in my gut although, at the mention of the lifeguards, the knot did lessen. I told myself to stop worrying and relax, but looked up at the lifeguard's tower. It was empty. I looked at the sign that said "LIFEGUARD ON DUTY." Where were they? Surely there were some lifeguards around to keep the situation from escalating from a nice dip in the pool to clape-ing? Perhaps they were inside getting water?

As we sat, we all noticed the English crowd coming closer. We tried to ignore their derogatory comments toward our dress and lifestyle. However, it became increasingly hard for some of our older boys to control themselves, Levi particularly. I silently willed him to stay seated; although he was usually one of the kindest boys, he was known to resent negative comments toward our ways at much to the exasperation of his parents and our bishop, was known to throw a punch now and then.

One of the English boys knocked off Samuel's hat into the pool from behind him. "What are you doing off the farm, boy?" Another boy grinned from behind the perpetrator.

"Hey Anthony…I wonder if they know how to swim."

At this point, I froze. Samuel seemed to be their main target, and although it was common knowledge in our small community that Samuel could not swim, these _Englischers_ obviously didn't know.

I began speaking rapidly in Dietsch. "_Wir sind gehen züruck nach meine Hause. JEZT._"

Apparently my outburst in Dietsch was cause for another step in escalation. As we all moved to run out to our buggy, another of the _Englisch_ boys reached out with his right hand and grabbed Samuel's arm. Levi spun around quickly and grabbed the boy's left arm and pulled, but to no avail. Both boys went plunging into the deep water of the pool. It was as though I was watching it in slow motion; the last thing I saw before they both became submerged was Samuel's face contorted in terror as he tried to draw in a breath. The _Englisch_ boy pushed him under and stood on his shoulders to keep him under the water.

I barely even thought about it. The next moment, my shawl was off (in public! What was I thinking!) and I was preparing to jump in after them when I felt hands tugging me back. A team of six lifeguards had come sprinting out of the office adjoined to the little shack where we had come into the pool area. One of them had grabbed my shoulders and was pulling me back.

I felt that I had to explain. "_Ach_! Samuel cannot swim!" I watched one lifeguard wrench the English boy off of Samuel. Another lifeguard had Samuel on top of his orange rescue buoy; Samuel's long hair was plastered to his head and his eyes were closed. He wasn't kicking and his neck rolled back limply as the lifeguard reached the edge. A third lifeguard sank the backboard and the two worked harmoniously as they began to settle Samuel on the board. They strapped his legs to the board and began to pull him out. I began to run over, only to be pulled back again.

"It looks like he swallowed some water. We can't have anyone interfere with our rescue procedures though. In order to help him, we need to know what happened."

My voice wouldn't come; it was like someone had shoved a tuning fork down my throat. All I could manage was a low moan. Levi and Joseph Lapp were at my side in an instant.

"There were these _Englisch_ boys. They came in just after _uns_. We only came to dip our feet in…Samuel and I can't swim so _gut_. The water felt wonderful _gut_, but the boys were making fun of us and we got up to leave and Lena said we should go because there were no lifeguards. But we got up to go _once't_ and this boy just grabbed him and pulled him into the water!"

I found my voice as I watched the lifeguards at work. They had carefully taken him off the backboard, but he was still not moving or speaking. The lifeguards were speaking rapidly and it was hard for me to understand.

They shook his shoulder once, twice, three times. "Can you hear me, Samuel?" When Samuel did not respond, they pulled out a funny looking clear mask. One lifeguard tilted back his head and listened for his breath, but finding none, began to search his neck for his pulse. He gave a shout. Apparently he had found that. The lifeguard pressed the mask onto Samuel's face and gave two breaths.

_ This is not real. This cannot be happening. We were going to come and relax and have a little fun. This is not fun. This is not relaxing. Why did we come?_ All sorts of thoughts began to run through my mind.

As the lifeguard finished questioning us, a police officer came tearing through the gate, looked at us, looked at the _Englisch_ boys and immediately began taking them over to his police car. He began speaking to them and ducking their heads as they got into the car.

The interrogating lifeguard began explaining slowly what the other two lifeguards were doing to Samuel.

"He must have swallowed a lot of water. They are doing abdominal thrusts to remove the water from his lungs. He'll be okay, but we want to see him cough and sputter. That will let us know that he's conscious. When you become conscious, your body automatically has a reflex to cause you to cough if there is water in your lungs."

We watched, all of us Plain kids huddled together, yet standing far enough away to satisfy the lifeguard whose duty it was to keep everyone back. After what seemed like an eternity, the color began to return to Samuel's face and he suddenly wrenched to the side and threw up. He began to cough and choke, bringing up water from his lungs. Other people had come to see what all the commotion was about and so, when the lifeguard left to keep them out, we sidled up to Samuel's left side.

He lay twisted on his side, his shirt sticking to him and his long hair slicked to his forehead. He closed his eyes and gasped to regain oxygen. The lifeguard was trying to soothe him and keep him conscious. We could hear sirens.

"Samuel, is it? Well, Samuel, the paramedics recommended that you go to the hospital to make sure that there's nothing else we can do for you and no complications. I've done everything I can. Are you feeling alright? Better? Okay?"

All Elsam could do was nod. I knelt down and brushed the hair from his face, parting it down the middle the way he liked it. He looked up at me and then flopped his head back down, too tired to lower it gently.

The lifeguard, no longer having to worry about resuscitating Samuel began to think about other things. "How can I reach your parents? Should I drive out to where you live?"

I stood, only after making sure Samuel was still breathing. "I'm not his sister. Samuel is my boyfriend. His father runs Stoltzfus Harness Shop in the township. There is a telephone there where you can reach him."

The EMTs came through the gate with blankets and a stretcher. Samuel, ever the Amishman insisted weakly, "I can walk…" but the EMTs ignored his small plea and strapped him to the stretcher anyway.

"You might be able to walk, buddy, which I doubt, but it's procedure, so that's the way it'll be done."

I wasn't about to let them take him away. "I am going with him. In the _auto_."

The paramedic looked me over and nodded in the direction of the ambulance. I quickly gave instructions to Levi to take the buggy back to Samuel's home to tell his mother to come to the hospital in the city and climbed into the ambulance after the EMT.

**The term clape-ing comes from the term of "clay-ape", most often used as a derogatory nickname for the Amish, probably due to their being farmers. Clape-ing is the harassment of the Amish people by young _Englischers._**


End file.
